STARSHIP BOOK VIDEOS - The Future of Your Book is Here

 

Book marketing is author marketing for the most part. Just the mention of some authors, Harper Lee, of To Kill a Mockingbird fame, in this case, and you instantly relate to her one and only novel, or so we thought, since her "new" novel, Go Set a Watchman is scheduled to be released this July, we'll soon have two books we can attribute to her.

Watchman, as you may already know, was the original Mockingbird, which her editor at the time, Tay Hohoff, suggested Lee skew in another direction, thus, TKM was born. This is interesting because the new book, was actually written before Mockingbird, and will now stand as a sequel to it.

Praise for clever editors, I suppose, although the big question remains; how much, if any part of this new book has Harper Lee re-written under the advice of her new editor(s) at HarperCollins? Some of it, or perhaps, none of it is safe to say based on Lee's mental health and rumors circulating in Monroeville. To a great extent that is irrelevant at this point. 

Based on Lee's comments regarding her publishing another book, we can assume she had little to do with polishing this version of her original Mockingbird manuscript. Lee has said that she didn't want any attention or publicity about a new book at this point in her life. Who's to say what's what? Except for Harper Lee, who thought the original manuscript was forever lost and has suddenly surfaced.

The real curiosity here is not only all the buzz surrounding Lee's reclusive life throughout the years, but we're all eager to know what her original intent for Mockingbird was, aside from what we already know. Lee says that her original story was about an older woman, named Scout who visited her hometown family and wanted to find out about her father's views about the world. Many of the same characters populate both novels in the fictional Alabama town of Maycomb.

HarperCollins will print 2 million copies of the new book and advance orders on Amazon.com have already pushed Watchman to number one bestseller status. Publicity is everything. Although, I'll admit that Lee's original story sounds interesting enough on its own. As its publisher, the president of HarperCollins,  Mr. Morrison asserts, "I've read the book twice, and it's fantastic," he said. 

Hopefully, millions of readers will agree.

However, book marketing doesn't always lead with the author as in Lee's example. If a story is of topical interest or controversial, it certainly has legs of its own to run on. Take JFK's assassination for instance. Enough said. How about a fictional tale such as, The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins was virtually unknown at the time of this book's publication, but the controversial story helped push it to bestseller status almost instantly, and then of course the movie did wonders for it thereafter.

Back in the 60's, Harper Lee's somewhat autobiographical story was not only topical, born right out of the Civil Rights Movement, but controversial as well, plus the movie, starring Gregory peck, was also a huge push. Never mind legs, this book had centipede legs right out of the gate.

Unknown authors take heart. There is hope if your amazing story has legs. Note the adjective. Yes folks, ordinary stories need not apply. Ordinary stories are the amputees of the literary world. They have no legs to run on. No fuel for the fire. No spark to ignite a fire for that matter. 

Stories need a catalyst. They need a strong hook and it helps if they are current and controversial all at once. All these factors create buzz, which leads to movie deals and consequently, more book sales. And let's not forget that if your story happens to be of social importance at the time of its publication, well, then you get to be featured in public schools and your story can live, and sell, forever.

Not a bad deal if you can write one. It is possible to conjure up such a story if you consider all these factors and if all the stars and moons align for you at the most opportune moment in time.

What about a book trailer you ask? Oh, right. That's what this article was all about to begin with. Yeah, you'll need one of those as part of your marketing mix these days. Book trailers are like a badge of honor. They give readers a glimpse, a taste of what your amazing story is about in 90 seconds or less. 

And when done right, book trailers arouse curiosity, help build author branding, and motivate readers to look into your story for answers to the profound questions raised in your book trailer.

Profound or profoundly amusing because nothing else will do.  Literature is not for the faint of heart or faint of spirit for that matter. 

Popular stories hinge on relevant concepts that ask profound questions, which in turn, demand provocative answers. We are curious creatures by nature and nothing arouses our curiosity more than images that awaken our deepest desires.

That being said, all stories are subject to individual interpretation on the page as well as on screen. And that's the beauty of literature and art alike, it is always in the eyes of the beholder.

Amen to that. Enjoy the Starship Trailer.

Book Trailers and Teasers - Made To Sell by BTP

Okay, you've got a killer book (at least you think it's killer) a great hook, and a hot idea for a book teaser. So how do you get your book teaser from concept to production without all the hassle?

Let's face it, getting anything done right is a lot of work plus plenty of headaches and worries that go along with it. Not to mention all the expenses. As an author, you have more important things to worry about and managing the production of your book trailer shouldn't be one of them.




What Makes Your Book Tick?

With Starship Book Videos you can "drop off" your big, book teaser idea and see it live usually within 2 weeks. No worries, no hassles, no huge expense, and best of all, you won't need to micro-manage the project because we specialize in book teasers and we know what's good for you and your book.

In most cases we stick to your concept and simply enhance it to maximize its sales potential. That's what it's all about, after all. You didn't work this hard just to entertain people. Which begs the question: What really makes your book and your book trailer sell?

Strange question, I know, but why do readers buy your books? I could be giving away a trade secret, but not really because we all know this. The difference is I'm willing to write about it. I'm talking about the metaphor your story represents.

In short, you write stories because you have something important that you'd like to share with the rest of the world. You want to make a point and you want that point to resonate with readers.

Well, that's how we approach your book trailer. We focus on that one metaphor, or the juicy hook you opened your story with, and we showcase that. That's what sells your story. That's the point of the book and without that point in sharp focus, you have no position in the marketplace.

I'll just leave it at that because it's getting a little technical and that's all the boring stuff nobody wants to hear. Fact is, all that boring stuff no one ever talks about is what makes your trailer effective.

Let's just say, it's a lot like the secret ingredients a chef might use for a great recipe. Everyone knows a favorite dish is really good, but no one really knows why.

For more details: starshipgrafix@outlook.com

New Book Teasers, Special Effects, and more

I've posted several new Book Teasers on the right column. One (Dawn of Ages) is based on an interesting Sci-Fi story and the other (Then Like The Blind Man) tells about a young boy's turbulent times with his troubled stepfather. Two good books worth checking out.

The book about the boy is deftly narrated by its author, Freddie Owens, but if you're ever in the market for good Voiceover talent, check out VoiceJungle.com. Their site is easy to use and they offer fair prices.

I've got another trailer coming up, actually a series of 5 trailers I'm working on so I've been busy with those. I'll post some of those here later to give you a sense of more approaches for what your own trailers might include by way of special effects.

As you know, I use special effects sparingly and focus on your story and weave a snapshot of its metaphor in your trailer. That's the juicy part without giving away crucial events. It is a tease, after all. Check them out.

You might have noticed my new logo for Starship Grafix. This is still part of Book Teasers Pub(licity) or vice versa since it's an expansion of graphic design services and not just book trailers. Now all I need is more than 24 hours a day to make it all work. Actually 24 hours are plenty as long as I sleep only 4 and "work" the 20.

Hey, it beats giving someone else 8 to 12 hours of your day for measly benefits and long commutes.

Okay folks ...I'm due for a nap.

Impulse Purchases - The Nasty Little Secrets

I love the cheddar!

OK folks, as promised, here's some of my spiel about impulse buying. You've heard me say it before and it's worth repeating because it's important. Selling is easy. Whaaat? Okay, let me explain. Selling the right product to the right people at the right time is easy. Fair enough. You know what I mean. Let's get to it.

BTW, here's my disclaimer for those who feel impulse buying is trapping, conning or otherwise taking advantage of a customer. A consumer's weakness or lack of buying discipline is their own fault, not the advertiser's. Whenever I get caught up in the hype of an impulse purchase, I blame myself, then I enjoy the product. Hey look at this way, if you don't make the irresistible offer, someone else will. Case closed. No guilt, no shame. Here goes.

Since the beginning of time. Take your pick: (Adam and Eve or the dawn of cave people.) Human beings needed things and wanted things. And guess what? At no other time in history has this been a fact more than it is now. Heck, just take a look at all those storage warehouses popping up all over the place. People just can't find enough room to store all their worldly possessions. Come on folks, there are hundreds of different cereals out there and counting. The proliferation of products is massive, and so is the purchase of these millions of products every day. Including books!

America especially is a consumerist society without bounds or limits it seems. People buy all sorts of stuff, especially online. The internet grows every year with no signs of slowing down any time soon. A tough economy? Not for everyone. There are plenty of people with deep pockets and just as many with not so deep pockets with the same desires. Guess what wins every time? Yes, the desire to want something always outweighs the sensibility of owning it. Let's face it, affording something and buying it does not always align. Does the word foreclosure sound familiar? (Sorry if I hit a sore spot. You knew it was coming.) Enough said, you get the point.

"The desire to want something always 

outweighs the sensibility of owning it."

Fact is, that most people want just about everything they see. There's no shortage of wanting and desiring. There's only a shortage of money, or in this case, the right offer. Here's something you don't hear every day.

People don't buy products or services, they buy offers.

WTF? Who the heck says that? What does it mean? Hey, it's simple. If money were no object, you'd probably own the Brooklyn Bridge, and so would I. Not to mention all the con men out to sell it to us. For example, if you could buy the Brooklyn Bridge for $50 a month, ($1.67 a day) you probably would, if for no other reason than to brag about it. Silly example, but you get the point. You'd buy because of the offer. Irresistible offers are what people buy into. How do you structure an offer in your book trailer?

Great question. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Remember that line from the Godfather? That's the basis of all impulse buying propositions. Don't give customers a way out. Make them an offer they can't refuse. Okay, we're not selling cars or bridges, we're selling books. Big difference. But are you really selling books? Well, yeah, they're not steaks. Right, if they were steaks, you'd sell the sizzle. But since they're books, you sell...the story. Specifically, the emotion of the story. Still with me?

A book is mere paper and ink. That's only part of what you're selling. People do buy and collect books because of their beautiful covers. (I'm guilty of this.) But what you're really selling is the contents of your book, or its emotional story. What if it's non-fiction? Same thing. Just because you're selling a bullet list of benefits, doesn't mean you can't attach emotion to it. Aha, now we're getting somewhere. Okay, somewhere deep inside you, you already knew this, but the difference is this time your focus on marketing will be fresh and laser-like.

Great, how do you sell the emotion in your story? Assuming you've written a killer story with plenty of twists and turns, intrigue, suspense, a surprise ending, there you have it. What's all that about? How about emotional connections? Ring a bell? Nothing new here folks. This never changes. Not now, not a million years from now. You're always selling an emotion. End of story. Readers thrive on emotional content. It's the only reason they read or watch movies or go to plays, etc. They want to experience an emotional high of some kind. It's like an addiction.

If merchants could only remember that little piece of information, their advertising and marketing would improve exponentially. But most of them don't have a clue and all they talk about is themselves and how important they are or how big their company is and so on. It's pathetic. Selling is never about the seller. It's all about the buyer. What's in it for them? Nothing else matters, except, how soon can they get your product, assuming you've presented it in such a way that readers must want it.

Okay, this is a mouthful, I'm sure. You've probably never heard any of this before, except right here because many advertisers and copywriters would like to keep this a big, fat secret. Who cares? I've told you everything and nothing at all because there's so much more it would take volumes and years to divulge. Yes, sales and marketing is a science and an art. You're not going to learn everything you need to know over night.

Let's break Impulse buying into bite-sized, digestible chunks. This may not sound appetizing yet, but it will when we're done. There's so much more to talk about, so much more to learn, and like advertising, it takes plenty of repetition before any of this sinks in.

Three Golden Rules:
1. You're Selling an Emotion
2. You Need a Special Offer
3. You Need To Create a Sense of Urgency

As I've said folks. Selling is a step-by-step process. Yet all those processes must happen simultaneously and decisively within a parameter of time in order to be effective. Stay with me and come back for more of this ongoing tutorial on Impulse Buying, The Ultimate Sales Tool.

Here's what we'll cover in my next Post: Impulse Triggers
Okay, it's all about emotion. Great, you've got that. But how do you market an emotion? How do you approach it from a sales POV? Easy, you set things up so the reader feels it. The emotional set-up, the question, or the statement that hooks readers at first sight and never lets them go.

That's our mission and what kicks off our marketing campaign in the right direction. The three Golden Rules. Without this, all is lost before we even begin. Here's where most marketing comes to a screeching halt, right out of the gate. We'll review how to come up with the best opening lines, triggers that set-off your marketing, your "sales pitch" in the most curious form that will not only hook readers, but send them scrambling for more about your story.

I'm on a roll and holding nothing back. Don't miss this!

Do Book Teasers Really Work?

The best way to answer a silly question is with another silly question.

Uh, Does marketing work?

WOW! I gotta have that!

Hmm...well, yes and no. It all depends on a multitude of reasons or obstacles. While many potential customers might receive your sales message, interested buyers could be prevented from placing an order for a number of reasons beyond your control. Anything from a lost internet connection, severe weather, lack of money, technical shopping cart problems, shipping price objections, nature calls, and so on. The list of obstacles can be endless.

The solution to that is simple. Repeat your message. Hence, all those damn Geico commercials every 5 minutes. Funny and annoying but in the world of advertising, essential to success. The good news is that Book Trailers are like perpetual marketing machines that never quit spreading your sales message. They're always on.

(Just like all those car insurance commercials. Personally, Flo is my favorite.)

Now for the not so good news. Bad marketing can work against you and have a negative effect on your sales. Obviously this is not what you want. So how do you know when your sales message, your advertising and marketing is missing its mark? Three reasons. Not enough repetition or market saturation, or if you know that not to be the case, then something's wrong with your sales approach or you're simply addressing the wrong audience, the wrong demographics.

In other words, Book Trailers, like any marketing piece, can and do work, but only if all the conditions are right. Aside from those conditions, what other factors influence a potential customer's buying decision? Glad you asked because that one question is the subject of this entire blog and what we've been distilling here for the past several months.

How do you write, design, and produce a book trailer that will inspire, encourage, and motivate readers to click for more and eventually buy your books? Or better yet, how about a killer trailer that propels interested buyers into placing an order right now, before they forget or change their minds for whatever reason (obstacle) known to humankind.

Impulse Purchases. You've heard of them, you've seen them advertised, and heck, you've certainly been a victim, uh excuse me, a customer on the "wrong end" of one of these late night infomercials. Want to be on the dealing end of an impulse purchase? Sure you do. Stay tuned for my next Post where I lay down all the golden rules to setting up and reaping the rewards of the ultimate buying scenario: Part I: The Amazing Impulse Purchase and how to Set it Off. Right here, next time.

Don't miss this jaw-dropping Post, coming soon, I promise.

Everything I know About Marketing, I learned From Tina Turner

“What’s love got to do with it?” asked Tina Turner in the sixties. 

Today, they’re still asking the same old question and I’m sure it’s a question we’ll be asking for generations to come. “What’s love, but a second hand emotion,” is the answer.

Ahh, emotion. What would the world be without it? How can you distill that emotion, bottle it up and cork it tightly? And when you’re ready to play, pop the cork, and unleash the genie inside. But what really are the bottle’s magical contents? What exactly evokes all those emotions? What inspires people to stop, watch and listen to your book trailer? More importantly, what motivates them to click and buy? Meaningful stories, filled with conflict. 

Problems, problems, problems. In real life, we try to avoid problems at all costs, but in literature, problems, better known as conflicts, are front and center stage at all times. Without conflict, there are no meaningful stories to tell. But how much should you tell? How much of the story do you give away in your book trailer?

The case for making long book trailers revolves around this idea, “The more you tell, the more you sell" mentality. Based on a tried and true advertising model, particularly ideal in the seventies and eighties, but not as relevant or as effective today, at least not on the internet.  Remember, the internet is quite unlike print publications. The internet is limitless and forever growing and expanding like some kind of universe―super fast and far-reaching. It demands speed even as it instills a speedy, almost anxious mindset on its users. Click, scan, click, from here to infinity.

This is not your Daddy's Internet:

The days of slow modems are long gone. Today, most people have high-speed fiber optic connections that are always on and lightning fast. Page loading times are virtually no longer an issue. When you click on a link, there it is, in a flash. For the most part, as long as your computer isn’t bogged down by registry errors, bloated browser caches or software-developer’s anti-virus, viruses, (hint, clue, wink) your pages load almost instantly.

Readers see the internet as a prime source of an immediate, speedy way of getting relevant information. Today’s readers and web surfers (largely, a younger generation) search for and consume huge amounts of digital information, seemingly as fast as it loads, and just as fast, they move on to something else.

This sense of immediacy and instant gratification has bred a whole new generation of web surfers that not only rely on high-speed internet access , but they thrive on its ability to deliver information faster than they can process it. In turn, that prompts them to stop only when something is meaningful enough to get their attention. And that means attention spans are cut drastically, to mere seconds per page sometimes. 

With billions of pages at their fingertips, it’s no wonder users are so finicky about what they read. So the obvious question is: What stops readers dead in their tracks? What keeps them riveted and glued to a particular page?

What's the Answer?

The answer is simple: An emotional connection. A speed bump on the lightning fast information super highway. Period. End of story. There’s no other reason because emotion is the only reason. What kind of emotion? How about curiosity? What about fear, anger, or longing? Do you think the search for love can stop a person dead in their tracks? Love of what? Love of a particular thing, a certain subject matter, a kind of personality or a particular image that speaks volumes to them. Anything that tells a meaningful story, in a flash.

Ever since the beginning of time, human beings have been searching for happiness through love and relationships, through friendships, through an understanding of something else. Anything that promises or suggests meaning. People are forever curious and searching for happiness or anything that even looks like the semblance of a good time. Something that really matters to them.

"Good ole emotion, folks. Take it or leave it,  it’s here to stay—forever and ever."

So what does emotion have to do with book teasers? Everything, of course. Problem is, most people don’t realize that emotion makes the world go round and round, and even more people don’t know how to define or present an emotional story on video. Wow. Houston, we definitely have a problem.

Luckily, I know a little about emotion. After all, I died once for 45 minutes, and then I died again when I got divorced after 13 years of an impossible marriage. (Yes, that’s precisely when I regretted not dying for an eternity the first time.) But that’s just the tip of the emotional iceberg, folks. Can you feel my pain? “Right, we’ve got it,” they said.

Forget you!

But what about book teasers? What’s up with that? Why is 30 seconds so much better than a long, 2 minute trailer? You’re right about one thing. Thirty seconds is not long enough. Whaat?

That’s the whole point, my friend. If a short 30 second book teaser doesn’t show enough, that means the viewer is left wanting more, and that’s exactly what you want. Long trailers tell way too much of the story and leave very little to the imagination, draining the story of its very essence―its mystery. If you seemingly tell everything, then there’s no reason for the viewer to search for more. You’ve given away too much, and possibly the best parts of your story.

That’s where the 30 second teaser works its magic. A very short story that engages the viewer in a meaningful way, but piques their curiosity to the point where they must click to find out more about the book and how your story ends.

Piece of cake, folks. All you have to do is find the emotional thread that drives your story. But that’s only half the job. You’ll then have to write the emotional words, find the right images and the heartfelt soundtrack, and then put that all together into an intense 30 second video presentation. Nothing to it.

The Hard Truth:

It’s a lot like watching someone play Mozart on piano. Looks like nothing more than someone hitting a bunch of keys, big deal. Seemingly, anyone can do it. You have two hands and two feet, what more do you need? Right.

Listen, if you want a powerful book teaser that represents you and your books in a meaningful way, I can play the piano. Heck, I can especially play some Tina Turner. So, if you have something in mind for your first or your next book trailer, run the concept by me and I’ll be happy to take a look at it and offer you suggestions on how to make it even better. No strings; just solid advice on how to make your book trailer more than just catchy music―but an effective marketing and sales tool instead.

Email me today with any questions and if you missed any part of my 3-part Book Trailer Tutorial, check it out here from the beginning. It’s filled with eye-opening stuff you can use to design your next book trailer that will save you time, money, and plenty of headaches.


Learn more here:
http://bookteaserspub.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-trailer-tutorials-how-to-improve.html

Book Trailer Tutorial Part III

Part Three:

If you just saw the Duma Key Teaser, you know how effective it is―all 32 seconds of it. 


Here's the article:
http://booksnap.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-makes-this-book-trailer-so.html

It’s all in the writing concept, the imagery and the music. In essence, the very short, short story, told with a twist that highlights the hook. They’ve left nothing to chance and made every second count. This is your goal, even if your book teaser turns out a little longer, the important thing is that you play up your hook but keep it as short as possible.

Notice the opening and the tag line in this teaser.

Opening: “Need to escape?”

End Tag: “Return trip, not guaranteed.”

This is more than just a clever play on words.  It’s powerful sales copy, designed to prompt you to take action. The reason you’ll click on this teaser link is because you need to find out more about this story. Remember the old saying? “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back.”

How true that is, and more so in your marketing. Now here are the big secrets why you want to keep your book teaser so short.

1.     Brevity leaves your reader wanting more: By highlighting only the key points to your story and playing up your hook, readers have no choice but to seek more information, so they click for more.

2.     Brevity leaves a lot questions about your story, unanswered: Leaving holes in your presentation builds curiosity. This is priceless because no one can resist curiosity, so that propels readers to click for answers.

3.     Brevity creates a sense of incompletion, which in turn, motivates readers to click in search for a resolution: This is the best reason of all to keep your teaser short. With limited information, just enough to build curiosity, readers have no choice but to click because they need closure. You’ve created an open loop and readers need to tie all the loose ends together, so they click.

As you can see, there’s a lot of clicking going on here. When you work off a strong story concept, an unusual angle, a unique hook, you engage readers at a deep emotional level. You draw them in and the only way out is for them to click and find out how your story might end, at least in their own mind.


Should all book trailers be short teasers like this? Of course not, but the key here is brevity. Be succinct and don't linger. Get to the point as quickly as you can, without giving away too much. Build suspense and curiosity by focusing on your hook, until readers have no choice but to click for the rest.

Great, clicking is good. Your short book teaser has done its job. Clicking on your teaser link draws readers one step closer to buying your book. But what happens once they click? Where do readers, (potential buyers) go? Do they reach the outer limits of the unknown universe, or do they land somewhere important, like landing on your book planet?

Closing the sale is the subject of my next Post. Where and how do you close the sale? They’re called Landing Pages, and I’ll cover everything you need to know, how to design and put your Landing Page to work for you. In short, your Landing Page must convert interested shoppers into paying customers.

Find out how in my next Post:

Landing Pages 101 

Book Trailers: More Than Just Promotional Tools

We already know that an effective book trailer can help you promote and sell your books. After all, it is first and foremost, a sales tool. Effective book trailers motivate readers to click and buy your book--that's the point. But aside from helping you promote your books 24/7, they also help give your books a unique voice by bringing them to life with the right soundtrack and special sound effects that help set the tone and mood of your particular book.

That's important because all readers know about your new book is what they can see--the title, its cover, the review blurbs. But the essence of your book. It's real voice is unheard until interested readers click the play button and hear that special piece of music or that spine-tingling drone that quickly instills fear and suspense. Now they really know what to expect.

Just like a movie teaser, your book's voice can set a specific mood and define what your story is all about. Get the sound wrong and it's all over in a flash. Instinctively, people know when you've got the right soundtrack because the music will draw attention to your story and engage them instantly with what's about to happen, and not focus on the music for the sake of beautiful sound.

The right soundtrack must be undetectable as mere sound and should play just beneath the imagery at a subconscious level under the text or any voice-overs. Ideally, text should also be kept at a minimum and voice-overs should be short and never state the obvious.

With a good ear and plenty of luck finding the best sound, plus using appropriate sound effects, when readers click, your book teaser should speak volumes.

Book Trailer Tutorial Part II

Last week I laid down a short spiel about the purpose of a book teaser and how to set one up effectively to perform like a perpetual marketing machine.

Here’s the link, in case you missed it: http://bookteaserspub.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-trailer-tutorials-how-to-improve.html

Today we’re going to talk about your all-important hook. Let me say this up front. If your book lacks a strong hook, you’re dead in the water already. Without a hook, a catch, a story question which propels the reader to seek answers out of curiosity, your story has little chance for commercial success. That’s the cold, hard truth, but a necessary component in all marketing and sales materials, regardless of the marketing media.

So, what’s a hook? It sounds like a self-explanatory word, and it is, but there’s more to it. A hook is more than just something you include or slug into your first chapter for a cool effect. It’s more than just a lure to attract readers. Your hook must be an inherent part of your premise and not just a clever occurrence that fades away into obscurity after the first chapter ends.

Having said that, many writers can open and get away with banal happenings but guess what? If by the end of your story your opening set-up doesn’t pay off in a big way, it will be a big disappointment to your readers. It certainly creates ill-will that won’t lead to positive word-of-mouth and repeat sales, which is what a superb hook will do for you. If you think your hook is weak, I suggest bolstering it and anchoring your premise to something more substantial so you can reap the rewards by the end of your story, plus a strong hook will instantly strengthen all your marketing.

Your hook should propel the story question and intrigue readers, leaving them wanting more. It’s the “what if” factor. For example: A scientist searching for a cancer cure is an ordinary story since many scientists are doing the same thing. But a story about a scientist who harvests aborted fetuses from unsuspecting cancer patients, that’s a unique hook. With that hook, that unusual and controversial angle, this is more than a story about a cure for cancer. It becomes a story with moral and ethical issues at its center.

I wish I could elaborate, but that’s an entirely different topic. I only bring it up because a strong hook is an essential component for writing your teaser concept. There’s simply no substitute. Okay, let’s assume you do have a killer hook, and I’m sure you do. You must use the hook for all its worth.

Just imagine what “The Hangover” story would be if their drinks hadn’t been spiked with Rufies? That’s the hook, hence, the story’s title. It might be an old Rufie joke, but they’ve elevated it to new heights by showing their moments of Rufie amnesia in flashbacks and surveillance camera playbacks. A brilliant concept that goes a long way.

The point is, your story must have a unique angle that you can play up. A hook that dramatically sets it apart from similar stories. It’s that kind of hook that publishers, editors and agents are looking for. Without it, your story will lack a flashpoint that helps set it off.

Everything hinges around the hook in your story. It’s the heart and soul of your story. It’s not only a major selling point, it’s an essential component―an important cog in the wheels of your marketing machine. You must use your hook to develop the concept in all your marketing materials, especially in your book teaser. Once you figure out how to play up your hook in 90 seconds or less, then you’re onto something. Let’s use our mad scientist as an example on how to develop your book teaser.

The hook is this: Mad scientist harvests sickly fetuses searching for cancer cure. Can you see the irony in this story? The scientist must sacrifice lives in order to save lives. Let’s mine for a story question to use in the opening of our teaser.

If we start by revealing the scientists shocking methods, we’ll give away all the suspense up front. Not what you want since building suspense is what we’re after. The way to build suspense and shock readers is to reveal his use of fetuses at the very end where it’s not expected.

So, lets begin by showing the scientist’s good intentions, his dedication and research to find a cure for cancer. The positive side of the story. “Dr. Blankenstein has a dream.” “To rid the world of deadly cancer.”  “But first, he must rid the world of angels.”

Okay, I know this is a far-fetched premise but the hook is there. Cancer patients in remission unknowingly donate their healthy fetuses to benefit scientific research. First we show all the good and proper research Dr. Blankenstein conducts in the public eye. Then about half way through (15 seconds, the music turns ominous and we expose Dr. Blankenstein’s dark side.

It’s all about misdirection. The teaser model is simple. We open with something positive but end with something evil and sinister. Check out Stephen King’s teaser for Duma Key, plus my play-by-play analysis of this masterful 32 second teaser.

http://booksnap.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-makes-this-book-trailer-so.html

Watch this teaser and see how it makes you feel. Notice how calmly it opens and then slowly escalates into the unthinkable. This is the effect you’re after if you’ve written a suspenseful thriller.


Bottom line is this: Search for something meaningful in your story. A strong hook, a unique angle,  and focus on that particular feeling to kick-start your teaser. Just as your book opens with a tease, so must your teaser. You must open your teaser with a question, but not just any question, your question must be filled with curiosity that speaks to the reader in a meaningful way, an emotional way.


Remember, emotion and story concepts are always at the center of all your marketing. Without these two vital components, your marketing will flatline and die before it even has a chance to breathe.

Don't miss Part III and the exciting conclusion to this mini Book Teaser Tutorial, next week, right here. Hope to see you then. Meanwhile, rethink your hook and build it up until you get it to a point where it's pure marketing gold.

The Orphan Book Rescue Society

It's a crying shame, but there it was. That poor book stood proud among the other rejects and misfit books in the Dollar Store bargain bin. It had a magnificent cover, an intriguing title, and a great story concept. What's wrong with this book, I wondered?

I turned to the back cover and read all the glowing reviews, opened to the back flap and saw the Random House logo in all its glory, along with the author's photo and short bio. Everything was certainly in place and the book was in pristine condition. No remainder marks, no stains, no dents, no curves, a straight spine. It was a brand new hardcover book in perfect condition.

I flipped to the first chapter and began reading. Sounds like a good story, a strong opening, filled with intrigue. Nice first chapter cliffhanger. Gotta have it. WTF! Why is this book in the bargain bin? Beats me. I've never heard of it though, or its author. What gives?

Then it hit me. As an author, peddling my own literary mystery novel, is this what I have to look forward to? Uh, yeah. Why should I expect my story to do any better, especially these days? Can things possibly get any worse than for a great book to wind up in the bargain bin of a Dollar Store? I thought the Dollar Store was already a bargain.

Hey, it's not all that bad though. The books weren't tossed about like yesterday's trash. They were neatly stacked and displayed with a good measure of dignity. They just looked like lonely orphans waiting for someone to rescue them. They seemed helpless. I rescued all 37 of them and took them home where they stand tall in my library. I'll keep my favorites and give the others away as gifts.

Come to think of it, some day I hope to reach this level of success in today's publishing world. The Dollar Store dollar bin. Heck, might even be a step above self-publishing.

You see, I knew there was a bright side, after all.

But, the real question is. What's an "emerging author" like me doing at the Dollar Store anyway? Oh, I get it. I'm not the next James Patterson. Right.

Book Trailer Tutorials: How To Improve Your Teaser

The following is a three-part book trailer tutorial. Here's what you'll learn:

• You'll learn what the most important element in your book teaser is and how to make it work for you. 
• The number one reason book trailers fail to sell books.
• How to build an exciting book trailer readers will love.
• 
  

PART ONE: What Makes Book Teasers Tick?

Book Teasers are like perpetual marketing machines. Set ‘em up and let them work their magic. But, to understand how this kind of marketing really works, we have to see our marketing machine in slow motion and study all its moving parts, one by one. Let's take our machine apart and get familiar with everything that makes it move. We'll then rebuild it, stronger, faster, and design it to work effectively, persuasively.

If one picture is worth a thousand words, than many pictures are sure to be worth much more. But there's a big difference between one picture and a motion picture. Yet, each has to tell a story, which means that your book teaser must focus and center around one concept, just like a movie, except that it’s more than a movie. It’s a visual presentation wrapped around a sales message. Sorry to break the news to you, but yes, book teasers are not just eye candy. They should be appealing but you must also design them to sell, and that means you must design them to function as effective sales tools.

Your message must be short, powerful, and persuasive. Your teaser is not an epic movie or a novel. In fact, it's a very short story. Ideally, about 30 seconds short, to be exact, and certainly no longer than 90 seconds. Why so short? Two main reasons: One is because of people's short attention spans, especially on the internet where readers click at the speed of light. People are in a hurry. They're busy. They have much to read and see during their limited time surfing the web. There’s just too much to get to. Every second counts. Every moment is limited by a myriad of interruptions outside the world wide web. So you have to hit ‘em and hit ‘em hard. No mercy, and by that I mean, your message must be on point, like a laser.

Secondly, and unlike sales copy, the less you tell, or say, the more readers will want to know, as long as it's relevant. That's what teasers do, they tease the reader's imagination and leave them wanting more. That wanting curiosity is what leads readers to keep on clicking. You must instill an urge to find out more about your book, but that happens only if you've raised a question they want answered. That question, or series of questions you've planted in the readers mind with a series of photos, words, and audio must be backed with the right soundtrack and sound effects too. That's a heck of a lot to accomplish in 30 seconds flat. Let's break it down.

"Your sales message must 

be subtle and unobtrusive."

You’re probably thinking, “sales tool?” or “sales pitch?” That’s tacky and so transparent. Surely you don’t want me to say something that sounds like an advertisement. Absolutely not. That’s the whole point. When you watch a movie, the director doesn’t want you to think about the movie-making process. The director wants to involve you in their carefully written story. They want you to take the journey, not just with the protagonist, but the director’s goal is to get you to become the star, or inhabit the protagonist’s mindset.

They want to wrap you inside their story bubble, the protagonist’s world, his or her wants, needs, desires, and dreams. Wow, now we’re talking. When you walk out of a movie theater and hit the streets after inhabiting someone else’s world for 120 minutes or more, you might feel a bit foolish and realize it’s all been a “clever ruse” on the director’s part. He had you hooked for almost 2 hours. Not only were you entertained, but you’ve been sold something other than a movie ticket. You’ve been sold a location, a city or a country, a way of life, the products used by the actors, and so on.

Hey, this is commerce folks. Everything’s for sale, including your books. Your sales message must be subtle and unobtrusive. It cannot be an obvious sales pitch. If we take a clue from our movie analogy, aside from a few cleverly presented product placements, nobody screamed a sales pitch at you. What the director did, ever so slyly, was to stir your emotions in such a way that you might respond to the movie in a positive way.

"If you remember nothing else 
about marketing, remember this: 
Sales is all about 

emotional responses and nothing else."

The difference between a movie and your book teaser is that nobody expects you to run out of the theater and buy something you saw in the movie. But that’s exactly what the purpose of your teaser is. It’s not a mini movie. Your book teaser needs to sell your book, or at least get readers to think about buying it, and there’s only one way to accomplish that.

Just like a movie trailer, your teaser must grab the viewer’s attention with something entertaining, interesting, or curious, and then, it must persuade them to buy. Not a movie ticket, but your book. That decision to purchase comes only when you’ve moved your viewers on an emotional level, in their gut.

Come on, on top of everything else, an emotional investment in 30 seconds? What’s next? Good question, and as far as your teaser goes, a moving presentation is all you need. That’s a mouthful. Here’s how to get it:

If you remember nothing else about marketing, remember this: Sales is all about emotional responses and nothing else. No emotion means no response and no sale. Sound simple enough, but it’s not so simple to execute. Here’s what you need to know.

Evoking an emotional response from your reader means that you must trigger a desire in their mind. Without getting too heady on the psychology of buying, we all have needs, wants and desires. Feeding ourselves is a need. Craving a hamburger is a want. The search for happiness is a desire. Not only is the search for happiness a desire, it is the ultimate human desire. It’s the one desire human beings are constantly searching for and funny thing is, just when we think we’ve found it, something or someone comes along and bursts our happiness bubble, or maybe our perceived happiness fades, and we’re back to square one, searching for that elusive moment, all over again.

"The endless search for happiness 

is the reason we buy stuff..."

The endless search for happiness is the reason we buy stuff and try to acquire whatever we think will bring us all this elusive happiness. Our quest is endless, and as part of the scheme of things, your book can be part of that quest.

People try to fulfill their desire for happiness in many ways. Through love, acceptance, friendship, favorite foods, fine wine, vacations, products of all kinds, like fast cars, fancy houses, flat screen TV’s, computers, books, maybe even your book. Wow, that’s a long way around just to get to your book, isn’t it?

Well, yes and no, because considering how important emotional responses are to your marketing, all or nothing, in fact, it’s certainly worth mentioning. Okay, now that you realize how important people’s emotions factors into our perpetual marketing machine, next week we’re going to get to the business of evoking those feelings so that we can trigger those emotional hot buttons and persuade readers to click and buy your book.

Come back for Part Two of this exciting tutorial next Monday.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

1.     Find the hook: We all know what a hook is and what it does, right? Well, I’m going to demystify that term and break it down so you get what it really means.

2.     Translate words and images into meaningful concepts: Putting together a video presentation that conveys your sales message is easier said than done. We’ll cover everything you need to know.

3.     How long should your book teaser really be? I’m going to lay this one to rest once and for all. I’ll cover all the reasons for both short and longer trailers and which format is best for your trailer and why.

Get Your Free Book Trailer Analysis Today

Analysis? Hell, I'm not sure if that's even spelled right. Whatever. You know what I mean. You've spent hours, no, no, weeks working on your book trailer and after all that blood, sweat, and tears, you're not sure if the damn thing is any good. By that I mean: 


Will it really help you to promote and sell your books? Who's to say?


Uh, me? Yes, of course. Who'd you expect, the Count of Montecristo? (Bad reference, I've never even seen that movie.) Never mind. Just point me to the link where I can see your masterpiece so I can have a few laughs. Not at your work, I mean at your concept. It is funny isn't it? (Yes, there's a hint of sarcasm in there somewhere.)


Listen, life's too damn short, baby needs a new pair of booties, and my pig heart valve is about to rupture. Why reinvent the wheel? You've got books to promote don't you? I thought so. Problem is, your marketing materials suck. There it is, I said it. Big deal, you know it's true. You were not born with 25 years of marketing experience and a foul mouth like I was. (Thank you, mother.) Hmm, come to think of it, neither was I. But somehow I got that way.


Okay, enough of that. Let's get to it before my meds wear off and I come to my senses. Where was I? Ahh, your book trailer. Of course. You've come up with a great concept, problem is, it's off the mark. Not quite what you expected, and you know it hasn't done a thing to promote your new book. Why?


Because it lacks emotion.


Emotion? Yeah, that's what has you riled up right about now, wondering who the hell I am and why you're still reading this crap. But rest assured, I've not escaped from the local psycho ward (again) I'm just a marketing cuckoo bird that loves a good challenge. Go ahead, send me your book trailer link and if I can't improve it in any way, I'll send you one million dollars.


You get the idea. No, there's no million dollar prize, (really?) but you can find out if I can help or not. Let me put it this way: If I can't improve your book teaser concept, I'll shut down this annoying blog once and for all. (Wow, just the thought of that sends tingles up my spine. Caribbean breezes, Mojitos, bikini clad Spanish mamitas, hmm, I just might throw the next one.)


This is a good time to email me. I'm busy, but not too busy to take a break and see what you've got.


(I promise to only laugh on the inside.)


arios316@gmail.com